County project gauges Gastonia’s walkability

From left, Steve Nelson, Gaston County Health Department Health Director Chris Dobbins and Division Director of Public Health Steve Eaton cross Garrison Boulevard in Gastonia on their way to the Gaston County Health Department on Hudson Boulevard. As part of Walkability Day, they walked from the Highland Health Center on North Highland Street to show how walker-friendly the city is.

John Clark

By Andrea Honaker

Published: Sunday, November 3, 2013 at 11:10 PM.

County employees took to the streets recently to discover just how walkable Gastonia is. This was the second year for the Department of Health and Human Services’ walkability day. The initiative was headed by DHHS Director Chris Dobbins and Division Director of Public Health Steve Eaton. In drizzling weather on Sept. 26, the two men walked 10 miles in about four hours, traveling to Highland Health Center on Highland Street, the Public Health Division on Hudson Boulevard, the Social Services Division on Marietta Street ,and Summit Midwifery & High-Risk Obstetrics on Summit Crossing. “We wanted to understand what our clients would see coming to our clinics,” Dobbins said.The pair was looking at how people without transportation get to their destinations. They took the most direct route, which gave them a good idea of the challenges the people who live farther away would face. Dobbins said he and Eaton struggled on the walk, despite being physically fit, and this gave them perspective on just how hard it would be for someone who is disabled, pregnant or has a medical condition. It’s easy to see how clients could miss appointments because of the difficulty of their walk and the bus exchanges. “It really opened my eyes to those barriers and those challenges,” Dobbins said. They saw some areas without sidewalks or where sidewalks hadn’t been maintained. The group also discovered just how dangerous it can be to walk in these high-traffic areas. Dobbins said the event also aimed to get to know the DHHS staff and improve their health, and about 20 employees joined them for their walk throughout day. There are already several people who walk to work every day or walk on their lunch break. “There are a lot of people who really care about this and are energized by it,” he said. “We’re excited. We’re encouraged.” Obesity is the primary concern, and a city’s walkability can help, Dobbins said. Many previous neighborhoods were built without sidewalks, forcing residents to have to drive everywhere. “The long-term effect of that is less movement, less activity, less walkability,” he said. “The more (sidewalks) we have, the greater health outcomes we will have. It’s worth the pennies per project because of the long-range results in dollars.” Dobbins wants DHHS to work with leaders and legislators and be a part of planning teams in order to improve this issue. And Dobbins and Eaton hope to keep hosting walkability days each year to continue to raise awareness.

County employees took to the streets recently to discover just how walkable Gastonia is. This was the second year for the Department of Health and Human Services’ walkability day. The initiative was headed by DHHS Director Chris Dobbins and Division Director of Public Health Steve Eaton. In drizzling weather on Sept. 26, the two men walked 10 miles in about four hours, traveling to Highland Health Center on Highland Street, the Public Health Division on Hudson Boulevard, the Social Services Division on Marietta Street ,and Summit Midwifery & High-Risk Obstetrics on Summit Crossing. “We wanted to understand what our clients would see coming to our clinics,” Dobbins said.The pair was looking at how people without transportation get to their destinations. They took the most direct route, which gave them a good idea of the challenges the people who live farther away would face.
Dobbins said he and Eaton struggled on the walk, despite being physically fit, and this gave them perspective on just how hard it would be for someone who is disabled, pregnant or has a medical condition. It’s easy to see how clients could miss appointments because of the difficulty of their walk and the bus exchanges.
“It really opened my eyes to those barriers and those challenges,” Dobbins said. They saw some areas without sidewalks or where sidewalks hadn’t been maintained. The group also discovered just how dangerous it can be to walk in these high-traffic areas. Dobbins said the event also aimed to get to know the DHHS staff and improve their health, and about 20 employees joined them for their walk throughout day. There are already several people who walk to work every day or walk on their lunch break. “There are a lot of people who really care about this and are energized by it,” he said. “We’re excited. We’re encouraged.” Obesity is the primary concern, and a city’s walkability can help, Dobbins said. Many previous neighborhoods were built without sidewalks, forcing residents to have to drive everywhere. “The long-term effect of that is less movement, less activity, less walkability,” he said. “The more (sidewalks) we have, the greater health outcomes we will have. It’s worth the pennies per project because of the long-range results in dollars.”
Dobbins wants DHHS to work with leaders and legislators and be a part of planning teams in order to improve this issue. And Dobbins and Eaton hope to keep hosting walkability days each year to continue to raise awareness.